Calcium phosphate is the base structure of bones within vertebrates. Hydroxyapatite, also known as Ca5(PO4)3OH, constitutes a very large percentage of calcium phosphate in this manner, and has been utilized as a nutritional supplement for people in jeopardy of suffering osteoporosis. Such a supplement has proven effective by simultaneously permitting sufficient absorption and use of both the calcium and phosphate components thereof by the subject user. Calcium absorption alone has proven, in some studies, to be lacking in terms of combating bone depletion and/or thinning. The ability to delivery and permit absorption of relatively large amounts of phosphate at the same time has proven to function properly as a manner of protecting a user from osteoporosis and other bone maladies. It has also been observed that the lack of phosphate absorption during possible calcium absorption may actually impact the effectiveness of the calcium supplement by itself. Since hydroxyapatite is the main structural component of bone, and thus includes both calcium and phosphate therein, such a result is not surprising.
Another potential supplement to aid with osteoporosis issues is Ca4P2O9. Such a compound exhibits a mole ratio of calcium to phosphate (Ca/P) of about 2.0. Hydroxyapatite exhibits such a Ca/P mole ratio of about 1.67. Other compounds, such as dicalcium phosphate alone, exhibit mole ratios well below 1.0. It is believed that this high mole ratio of Ca to P is necessary to generate sufficient bone protection and treatment through nutritional supplement use. Unfortunately, both hydroxyapatite and Ca4P2O9 are rather complicated to manufacture and thus relatively expensive for utilization within the nutritional supplement industry. A manner of supplying the industry with a high Ca/P mole ratio (i.e., between 1 and 10) supplement source with low complexity of production and thus lower cost than these standard supplement products is thus highly desirable. Furthermore, a simple method of permitting production of any desired Ca/P mole ratio product would be highly desirable as well. To date, however, no such method and/or product has been accorded the nutritional supplement industry.